Afghan president addresses nation as Taliban close in on Kabul
14 August 2021
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday made his first public remarks since the Taliban captured over half of the country's provincial capitals, saying that he's focusing on preventing "instability, violence and the displacement of people."
State of play: In a televised speech, Ghani gave no hints that he would resign, despite being under pressure from Afghan officials who want a transitional government headed by someone who can negotiate with the Taliban to prevent their takeover of Kabul, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- The removal of Ghani has been a demand by the Taliban as negotiations between Afghanistan, the Taliban, the United States and other nations continue in Qatar, the Journal notes.
- Ghani is losing control of the country, ruling only Kabul and a few other cities, per The New York Times.
The big picture: Less than three weeks before the United States finishes its troop withdrawal, the Taliban has captured 19 provincial capitals, per AP, including the province of Logar, which is just miles south from Kabul.
- The group also captured Sharana, the capital of the Paktika province, which borders Pakistan.
What he's saying: "I will try not to allow the imposed war to cause more casualties of innocent Afghan people, to lose the 20 year-gains, to cause destruction of public property and to bring an enduring instability," Ghani said.
- "For this reason, I have begun extensive and continued consultations within the system with political leaders, representatives of different groups in Afghanistan and international partners," he added.
- "Consultations in this regard are swiftly going on and their results will be shared with you, my beloved compatriots, very soon."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.